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Objective the advent of BRAF inhibitors for preoperative treatment of craniopharyngioma has necessitated the identification of BRAFV600E status. Hence, we investigated predictors of BRAFV600E mutation in craniopharyngiomas. Methods this retrospective study utilized data from 30 patients who were newly diagnosed with craniopharyngioma between 2011 and 2021. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography were performed within 1 week prior to surgery. Genetic analysis for BRAF mutation was performed using the Oncomine next-generation sequencing panel or Sanger sequencing. The relationship between BRAF mutation and demographic data, endocrinological function and tumour characteristics on imaging was assessed. Results tumour tissue carried the BRAFV600E mutation in nine patients. There was no significant difference in age, sex, or presence of hormonal dysfunction amongst patients with and without the BRAFV600E mutation in the tumour. Most tumours with the BRAFV600E mutation were histologically categorized as papillary craniopharyngioma (P = 0.0005), and were solid (P = 0.0002) and supra-diaphragmatic (P = 0.0033) on MRI. BRAFV600E tumours were more frequently associated with optic tract edema than wild-type tumour s (55.6 vs. 0%, P = 0.0009) and all tumour s with optic tract edema carried the BRAFV600E mutation. Optic tract edema was not associated with tumour volume, cysts, or preoperative pituitary function. Conclusions in craniopharyngiomas, the presence of optic tract edema can predict the presence of BRAFV600E mutation with a positive predictive value of 100%. The finding should be verified in larger prospective cohorts and multivariate regression analysis.

Background Primary hypothyroidism is a known risk factor for pituitary hyperplasia, which develops symptoms due to compression of the optic chiasm and increased intracranial pressure. As pituitary hyperplasia is known to improve after levothyroxine replacement therapy, there have been no reports of a long clinical course of pituitary hyperplasia due to primary hypothyroidism. Case presentation An 18-year-old female presented with headache, double vision and bitemporal hemianopia. A large suprasellar tumor measuring 19.2X13.67X18.96 mm on MRI and the biological testing comprising low thyroid hormone and high TSH levels, and positive thyroid stimulation blocking antibody (TSBAb) were indicative of pituitary hyperplasia due to primary hypothyroidism with TSBAb. For the purpose of ruling out invasive pituitary tumors, the lower one-fourth of the pituitary gland was biopsied and histopathological examination showed pituitary hyperplasia and no malignant findings. A follow-up MRI showed dramatic shrinkage of the pituitary gland after levothyroxine replacement therapy. As pituitary gland size was monitored for approximately 16 years, it did not converge to a normal size. Conclusions We describe a case of follow-up over 16 years for pathologically diagnosed pituitary hyperplasia due to primary hypothyroidism with positive TSBAb. Repeated enlargement and shrinkage were confirmed, but observations also suggested the pituitary gland to not always return to normal size after the appearance of profound pituitary hyperplasia. The patient’s non-adherence with levothyroxine intake is likely to cause a profound pituitary enlargement, leading to symptoms due to compression of the optic chiasm and increased intracranial pressure. In the case of poor medication adherence, medication guidance is important to be provided assiduously for the prevention of profound pituitary hyperplasia, while using TSH and PRL levels as indicators.

Due to the effectiveness of growth hormone therapy (GHT), the number of cancer survivors receiving GHT has increased. Previous studies had indicated that GHT was not associated with the increasing risks of tumor recurrence and development with second neoplasm (SN) in cancer survivors. However, to date, research on those risks in germinoma survivors is still limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of GHT in relation to tumor recurrence and development with SN in pure germinoma survivors.This retrospective cohort study was approved by the Ethical Committee for Epidemiology of our institution. Seventy-three consecutive patients who underwent a biopsy of the lesion and were diagnosed with pure germinoma were retrospectively studied. They (median age, 15.0 years) were followed up more than 1 year after biopsy (median follow-up period, 14.3 years). The following data was obtained from the medical records of the patients: age, sex, preoperative magnetic resonance imaging findings, hormonal replacement, and events including tumor recurrence and/or SN.In our patient series, 16 patients (21.9%) who were more likely to have neurohypophysial lesion and receive multiple hormonal therapies had received GHT. No significant differences in the rates of tumor recurrence and development with SN were observed between the patients who had and had not received GHT. Moreover, the recurrence-free survival and overall survival rates were not different between the patients who had and had not received GHT.GHT did not increase the risks of tumor recurrence and development with SN in pure germinoma survivors.

PurposeCritical flicker fusion frequency (CFF) is a short but sensitive method for evaluating optic nerve function. We measured CFF in patients with pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (Pit-NETs) to assess its usefulness.MethodsData from 184 patients with nonfunctioning Pit-NETs, who had been treated with transsphenoidal surgery and had no medical history of eye diseases, was used in this retrospective study. Visual acuity decline (VAD) was defined as > 0.10 reduction in logMAR visual acuity and CFF decline (CFD) was defined as CFF value ResultsContact between the optic nerve or chiasma and the tumor was present and absent in 161 and 23 patients, respectively. In patients showing contact, the difference in CFF between the left and right eyes was larger (P = 0.0008), and the optimal cut-off value using the receiver operating characteristic curve was 3 Hz. Therefore, ≥ 3 Hz was considered positive for CFF laterality (CFL), the most prevalent condition. Tumor height was lower in patients with CFL positivity compared to those with VAD or VFD (P ConclusionChanges in CFL permit early detection of Pit-NETs. Our results indicate that CFF laterality can be seen in the early stages of compressive optic neuropathy due to Pit-NET.

Double pituitary adenomas (DPAs), especially metachronous DPAs, are extremely rare and there has been no report about DPAs with altered transcriptional factors. We describe the case of a 25-year-old man who presented with acromegaly 7 years after surgery for a non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA). Before the initial surgery, endocrine evaluation confirmed NFPA or silent somatotroph pituitary adenoma (SPA) because of normal serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insufficient suppression of growth hormone (GH) levels in the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Immunohistochemistry of resected tissue obtained from gross total resection (GTR) with transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) was negative for follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, GH, and Pit-1 but positive for GATA3, which confirmed the gonadotroph pituitary adenoma (GPA) diagnosis. Seven years later, follow-up brain MRI revealed a 13.3 × 5.6 × 4.7 mm tumor within the sellar turcica. The endocrine evaluation confirmed acromegaly because of high serum levels of IGF-1 and insufficient suppression of GH levels upon OGTT. GTR with TSS was again performed, and immunohistochemistry was negative for GATA3 but positive for GH and Pit-1. Surprisingly, he showed altered transcription factor expressions between initial and recurrent surgery. Based on the overall clinical course and hormonal secretion findings, we speculated metachronous development of a DPA, i.e., SPA followed by GPA, wherein a few remaining cells of the SPA might have regrown after the initial surgery. We conducted a literature review of cases that documented altered hormone secretion at recurrence and emphasized the necessity of identifying a small adenoma when there is a discrepancy between pathological findings and hormone secretion tests.

Thyrotropin-secreting pituitary adenomas (TSPA) are extremely rare pituitary adenomas; their perioperative thyroid hormone dynamics have not been completely elucidated. Here, we investigated the clinical characteristics, perioperative findings, and thyroid hormone dynamics of TSPA at a single institution. We enrolled 11 patients who underwent transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) for TSPA during 2005–2019 at Hiroshima University Hospital (TSPA group) and 24 patients who underwent TSS for nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPA) in 2019 (NFPA group; for comparison). Their clinical characteristics, operative findings, and thyroid hormone dynamics, including serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroxine (FT4), were retrospectively analyzed. The NFPA group demonstrated a slight temporary decrease in serum TSH/ FT3/ FT4 levels on day 1 postoperatively and improvement in the levels on day 4 postoperatively. In contrast, the serum TSH level in the TSPA group demonstrated a marked decrease on day 1 postoperatively but improved on day 7 postoperatively. The serum FT3 level was also markedly decreased on day 1 postoperatively but remained within the normal range. The serum FT4 level revealed a gradual decrease until day 21 postoperatively and then recovered within the normal range 3 months postoperatively. There was no significant difference in the frequency of decline in serum FT4 level between the two groups; no patients required thyroid hormonal replacement 3 months postoperatively. Despite a variable degree of transient hypothyroidism, all patients had a normal thyroid function after 3 months follow-up.

OBJECTIVE Rathke’s cleft cysts (RCCs) are relatively common and often detected incidentally. They are usually asymptomatic and managed conservatively. However, little is known about their natural history. Thus, the authors aimed to examine the natural course of RCCs and identify the risk factors for their progression. METHODS This retrospective study examined 229 patients (median age 43.0 years) diagnosed with RCCs by MRI and followed up without surgery (median period 36.6 months). The median cyst height on the initial MRI was 10 mm. Progression or regression of RCC was defined as cyst height changes of ≥ 1 mm. RESULTS In total, 23 (10.0%) RCCs progressed, whereas 73 (31.9%) RCCs spontaneously regressed. The remaining 133 were noted to be stable throughout the follow-up period. Patients with progressed RCCs were significantly older than those with stable RCCs. In patients with acute headache as an initial symptom, RCCs were significantly more likely to spontaneously regress. New symptoms occurred in 6 patients, 5 of whom underwent surgery for RCC progression. Of these 6 patients, 1 patient had persistent adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency and 1 patient developed diabetes insipidus. Kaplan-Meier analysis results showed RCC progression and new symptom development rates to be 12.0% and 4.1% at 5 years and 13.7% and 5.7% at 10 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS RCCs rarely progress or cause new symptoms in the long term. Patients with asymptomatic RCC should be followed up for at least 5 years to ensure RCC inactivity. RCCs in older adults may require greater surveillance.

The term "growing teratoma syndrome (GTS)" has been used as follows: patients with germ cell tumor (GCT) who present with enlarging original/metastatic masses during or after appropriate systemic chemotherapy despite normalized serum markers. In other words, the definition of the term GTS is not fully established. We analyzed and reviewed our case series regarding GTS that developed after the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) nongerminoatous germ cell tumors (NGGCTs).Our institutional review board approved this retrospective study. Between 2003 and 2018, we treated 16 patients (16 males; age ranging from 5.4 to 51.9 years, median 13.8) with CNS-NGGCT at our institution. We reviewed those patients and also reviewed the literature about GTS of CNS. We defined primary GTS (p-GTS) as the enlargement of cyst size and/or solid tumor occurred during treatment in the absence of marker elevation, and recurrent GTS (r-GTS) as the enlargement of teratoma after complete response of initial tumors.Among 16 patients with CNS-NGGCT, we surgically confirmed mature/immature teratoma components in 15 patients. Two patients underwent surgical removal of tumor before neoadjuvant therapy, and among the rest 14 patients, 6 developed p-GTS, and 2 patients underwent salvage surgery during chemo-/chemoradiotherapy. Those with histologic diagnosis of immature teratoma during salvage surgery had a shorter interval from the initiation of chemoradiotherapy compared with mature teratoma (P 0.05). One patient developed r-GTS. In the literature review, most of the p-GTS consisted of enlargement with the multicystic component. Histologic diagnosis of immature teratoma during salvage surgery was observed in earlier stages of chemoradiotherapy (P 0.05, log-rank test). Previous history of p-GTS might be a risk factor of r-GTS.The incidence of p-GTS, enlargement of the cystic component during treatment, is not rare. Physicians need to be aware of this important phenomenon.

Entirely intrinsic third ventricular craniopharyngiomas showed characteristics of a round/oval shaped tumor, with rare calcification and cyst formation, and pathologically squamous-papillary type with a positive BRAF

OBJECTIVE Recovery from adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) after transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) has not been well discussed because of the lack of examinations including pituitary provocation tests (PPTs) before and after the procedure. This study aimed to evaluate the growth hormone (GH) axis function of patients with nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) via pre- and postoperative PPTs. Moreover, the predictive factors for recovery from AGHD after TSS were validated to facilitate surgery for AGHD in patients with NFPA. METHODS In total, 276 patients (median age 60.0 years) who underwent TSS for NFPA were included in this study. PPTs were performed before and 3 months after TSS. Then, the relationships between recovery from AGHD after TSS and clinical, surgical, and hormonal factors, including peak GH level based on PPTs, were evaluated statistically. RESULTS In this study, 114 patients were diagnosed with preoperative AGHD. Approximately 25.4% recovered from AGHD after TSS. In contrast, among the 162 patients without preoperative AGHD, 13 (8.0%) had newly developed postoperative AGHD. The predictive factors for recovery from AGHD were younger age, female sex, initial TSS, and high peak GH level based on preoperative PPT. According to the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, patients who were aged ≤ 62.2 years and had a peak GH level of ≥ 0.74 μg/L based on preoperative PPT were likely to recover from AGHD (sensitivity: 82.8%, specificity: 72.9%, and area under the curve: 0.8229). CONCLUSIONS AGHD caused by NFPA can improve after initial TSS among young patients with certain peak GH levels assessed by preoperative PPT. Whether TSS for NFPA can promote recovery from AGHD is worth considering in some patients.

Diabetes insipidus (DI) following transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) is a common complication. Although postoperative DI often occurs in patients with craniopharyngioma and Rathke’s cleft cyst, postoperative DI in patients with non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) has not been fully examined. We clarified the clinical characteristics and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings predicting postoperative DI in NFPAs. A total of 333 patients undergoing initial TSS for NFPA were included in this retrospective study. Hyperintensity (HI) in the posterior pituitary lobe was evaluated on preoperative T1-weighted MRI. Based on the findings of HI patients were divided into three groups as follows: HI was not detected (Disappearance group), HI located intrasellarly (Intrasellar group), and HI located suprasellarly (Suprasellar group). The overall rate of DI was 21.9%, including permanent DI in 0.6%. DI occurred at postoperative day 1 (72.6%) or day 2 (19.2%) and improved within 7 days in most cases (87.7%). Univariable and multivariable analyses showed that the predictive factors of DI were a younger age (odds ratio [OR] 0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.95–0.99, P = 0.0037) and larger tumor diameter (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01–1.08, P = 0.0155). The rate of DI was highest in the Disappearance group (43.8%) followed by the Intrasellar group (26.0%). The OR was 2.17 in the Intrasellar group compared with the Suprasellar group (95% CI 1.17–4.02, P = 0.0141). Factors predicting DI following TSS for NFPA were a younger age, larger tumor size, and the location of intrasellar HI on preoperative T1-weighted MRI.

Purpose The safety of transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) for pituitary adenoma in elderly patients is becoming a new topic in our aging society. However, previous studies did not focus on the surgical procedures in elderly patients. We attempted to clarify the safety of TSS and the influence of pseudocapsular resection in elderly patients with non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA). Methods A total of 272 patients undergoing initial surgery for NFPA were categorized into two groups as follows: 1) Elderly group (n = 66; age ≥ 70 years); and 2) Younger group (n = 206; age

Background Recently, several reports have revealed new aspects regarding transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) for pituitary lesions in elderly patients. Objective The aim of present study is to provide an updated review of the recent literature, which we hope will contribute to the management of nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) in elderly patients. Methods We searched PubMed and Web of Science for reports on TSS for NFPAs in elderly patients and reviewed the literature. Results NFPAs, which cause the symptoms of tumor mass effect, are the most common form of pituitary adenoma in elderly individuals. The rates of tumor resection and postoperative visual improvement in elderly patients are similar to those in younger patients; however, elderly patients have greater difficulty in recovering from preoperative hypopituitarism. TSS is associated with low rates of morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. However, there is a possibility that the risks of morbidity and mortality increase with advancing age. TSS is not considered for elderly patients who show hypopituitarism alone, but who either have or are predicted to experience a tumor mass effect. Prospective MRI follow-up without surgery can be also proposed for elderly patients with a high American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade or those in whom there is no evidence of tumor growth towards the optic pathway. Conclusions TSS is considered a safe procedure for the treatment of NFPA and is even tolerated by elderly patients; however, the surgical indications, which are based on the patient’s clinical condition and the results of radiological examinations, should be strict.

The criteria for surgical cure of acromegaly have become more stringent during the past decades and a change from Cortina to new consensus criteria has recently been proposed. However, the superiority of the new consensus over Cortina criteria with respect to postoperative metabolic parameters remains to be ascertained. We retrospectively assessed metabolic parameters, the body habitus, and other health-related parameters of 48 patients with surgically controlled acromegaly who met the Cortina criteria [normalized insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) level and nadir growth hormone (GH) level

Objective A neuroendoscopic biopsy has become common for the diagnosis of ventricular tumors. However, its utility in patients with germ cell tumors (GCTs) has not been well discussed. We examined the usefulness and pitfalls of neuroendoscopic biopsies of intraventricular GCTs at a single institution. Methods We retrospectively studied 21 consecutive patients diagnosed with GCTs by a neuroendoscopic biopsy of the ventricular region via the lateral ventricle. We examined the localization of tumors, histologic diagnoses using biopsies, surgical complications, and consistency of the diagnosis at the latest follow-up. Results Tumor specimens were obtained from a pineal lesion ( n = 20), neurohypophysial lesion ( n = 5), and lateral ventricular wall lesion ( n = 2). In 5 patients, the specimens were obtained from multiple areas. The initial diagnoses were pure germinoma ( n = 16), immature teratoma ( n = 1), yolk sac tumor ( n = 1), and mixed GCT ( n = 3). Six of 21 patients needed a second transcranial removal of enhanced residual lesions in the course of the treatment. A discrepancy in the histologic diagnosis between 2 surgeries occurred in 3 patients: All 3 patients had a new diagnosis of teratoma component following transcranial surgery. No postoperative mortality or permanent morbidity related to the neuroendoscopic procedures was noted. Conclusion Neuroendoscopic biopsies are safe and useful for obtaining reliable histologic diagnoses in the management of GCTs. However, for GCTs with mixed histology, biopsies are susceptible to diagnostic errors, especially missing detecting a component of teratoma.

The Japanese population features the highest rate of elderly individuals worldwide. Moreover, Japan has the highest number of computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging devices in the world, which has led to an increase in the incidental detection of meningioma in healthy elderly patients. Many previous papers have discussed the risks and indications for surgery in this patient population, but available information remains insufficient, and the definition of "elderly" has not been standardized. This review tried to clarify the published evidence and challenges associated with elderly meningioma based on a search of the PubMed database using the terms "meningioma," "elderly," and "surgery" for English-language clinical studies and collected related papers published from 2000 to 2016. Twenty-four papers were reviewed and classified by definition of elderly age: over 60, 65, 70, and 80 years old. Six of seven papers that defined the elderly cutoff as over 65 years old were published after 2010, which suggested the consensus definition. Four preoperative grading scoring systems were described and associated with mortality. The 1-year and 5-year mortality rates ranged from 0% to 16.7% and from 7% to 27%, which were comparable with unselected cohorts. Review of risk factor analysis emphasized the importance of considering the preoperative status, presence of comorbidities, and optimum surgical timing during patient selection. Careful choice of patients can also lead to better quality of life. A prospective randomized study considering patient frailty should address the causes and prevention of complications.

Given the anatomical proximity of tuberculum sellae meningioma (TSM) to the hypothalamo-pituitary system, pituitary function impairments are of great concern. We retrospectively investigated pituitary function changes following surgery in patients with TSM using pituitary provocation tests (PPTs). Thirty-one patients (27 females and 4 males) with TSM underwent initial transcranial surgery (29 patients) or transsphenoidal surgery (two patients); surgeries were performed carefully to avoid injuring the pituitary stalk. In 24 patients, the PPTs were performed via a triple bolus injection with regular insulin, thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), and luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LH-RH). Seven patients underwent a quadruple test (growth-hormone-releasing factor, corticotrophin-releasing hormone, TRH, and LH-RH). The preoperative and postoperative target hormone levels of the anterior pituitary were normal in 93.5% and 96.8% of patients, respectively. At least one hormonal axis demonstrated impaired PPT responses in two patients (6.5%) preoperatively and in one patient (3.2%) postoperatively. The growth hormone (GH) response was also well preserved. A compromised GH peak level was only observed in one patient (3.2%) preoperatively. Postoperatively, transient diabetes insipidus and transient hyponatremia were observed in four (12.9%) and eight (25.8%) patients, respectively. No patients needed permanent postoperative hormone replacement. The preoperative pituitary function was well preserved in most patients, including those with large tumors pushing against the pituitary stalk considerably or embedded in it. After careful surgery to avoid damaging the pituitary stalk, pituitary function was preserved. However, transient postoperative hyponatremia occurred in 25.8% of patients; thus, surgeons should pay careful attention to this issue.

Objective The differential diagnosis of neurohypophysial lesions is difficult, and surgical biopsies are indispensable in the histologic diagnosis of some patients. Although pituitary stalk biopsies are uniformly performed, there is a considerable risk that they will result in impaired hormonal secretion. We attempt to clarify the usefulness and safety of posterior pituitary lobe biopsy by transsphenoidal surgery (TSS). Methods The cases of 11 consecutive patients who underwent posterior pituitary lobe biopsies by TSS were retrospectively studied. Patients with cystic sellar lesions were excluded. We examined the clinical findings, endocrinologic data, magnetic resonance imaging findings, and histologic diagnoses of the patients. The locations of neurohypophysial lesions and the histologic diagnoses by posterior pituitary lobe biopsies were examined. Results The major preoperative clinical symptoms were diabetes insipidus (DI) (90.9%), followed by anterior pituitary lobe dysfunction (hypopituitarism) (54.5%). In all the patients, the lesions occupied the pituitary stalk and the posterior pituitary lobe, and the bright spot, which would indicate a normal posterior pituitary gland, disappeared on T1-weighted imaging. The posterior pituitary lobe specimens could be histologically diagnosed in all these cases. DI persisted in 10 patients with preoperative DI after the biopsy, whereas the 1 patient without preoperative DI did not suffer from DI after the biopsy. Conclusions A posterior pituitary lobe biopsy by TSS may be an alternative to pituitary stalk biopsy in patients with neurohypophysial lesions.

Patients with acromegaly have a compromised quality of life (QOL). Modern surgical techniques have improved the surgical cure rate. However, there are no prospective studies reporting postoperative changes in QOL among patients cured solely by surgery. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of surgery on QOL using the 36-item short form health survey (SF-36) questionnaire. SF-36 scores comprise 3 components: the physical component summary (PCS), the mental component summary (MCS) and role-social component summary (RCS). Included in this prospective cohort were 41 patients with acromegaly who underwent surgery alone and achieved postoperative normalization of insulin-like growth factor-1. All participants completed the SF-36 preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively. Preoperatively, RCS and 4 subscale scores (role physical, social functioning, role emotional, mental health) were below the set standards for the normal population. Postoperatively, the PCS and RCS scores did not change significantly, but the MCS score improved significantly (from 48.1 ± 11.3 to 51.7 ± 8.9, p=0.03). Further we compared the QOL of 26 patients whose nadir GH level was < 0.4 μg/L during postoperative oral glucose tolerance testing (complete remission group) with that of 15 patients whose nadir GH level was ≥ 0.4 μg/L (partial remission group). There were no significant differences between these groups in terms of PCS, MCS, RCS, or any subscale scores. In conclusion, surgical remission mostly improved the participants' mental condition. There was no difference in QOL between patients who achieved the new remission criteria and those who did not.

Background Xanthogranuloma is a chronic inflammatory mass characterized by cholesterol crystal deposition, which is rarely seen in the sellar region. The objective of this study is to identify the clinical features and cause of sellar xanthogranulomas. Methods We retrospectively analyzed manifestation, radiographic, and endocrinologic presentation in 9 patients (7 women and 2 men) whom we had previously treated. Results The patients were between 26 and 73 years of age (median, 56 years). The chief symptoms were visual symptoms in 3, polyuria in 3, headache in 4, and tiredness in 4 patients. Perimetry found visual field deficit in 6 patients. Anterior pituitary provocation tests disclosed impairment of ≥1 hormone in all patients: growth hormone in 8 patients and adrenocorticotropic hormone–cortisol axis in 8 patients. The lesions were suprasellar in 2 patients, intrasellar in 2 patients, and intrasuprasellar region in 5 patients. Three of the lesions were solid and 6 were single cystic to multicystic. Very low intensity area on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was observed in 4 lesions. Postcontrast study performed in 7 lesions showed enhancement in solid parts or cyst walls. Surgical decompression improved visual disturbance in half of the patients but rarely improved hormonal deficits. Follow-up (median, 47 months) found no recurrence of the lesion. In addition to these 9 cases, we found 2 xanthogranulomatous lesions pathologically associated with ciliated epithelia, which also presented with severe hypopituitarism. Conclusions Xanthogranuloma seems to be the last stage of the chronic inflammation affecting Rathke cleft cyst or craniopharyngioma presenting with severe anterior pituitary insufficiency.

Purpose Differentiating between germinoma and non-germinomatous germ cell tumor (NGGCT) is important because sensitivity to chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy is quite different between these two subgroups. In this study, we evaluated whether the arterial spin labeling (ASL) based perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) could provide additional information for the differential diagnosis between germinoma and NGGCT. Method Between 2011 and 2018, 20 patients with central nervous system (CNS) germ cell tumor (GCT) who underwent preoperative MR imaging including ASL-PWI were enrolled in this study. Relative tumor blood flow (rTBF) was evaluated on ASL-PWI by manually placing regions of interest at gadolinium enhanced part of the tumors and normal subcortical white matter. Presence of intratumoral T1 hyperintense foci and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were also evaluated. The final diagnosis was made by the combination of tumor markers and the histological diagnosis. Results Among 20 patients of CNS-GCT, 11 were diagnosed as germinoma and 9 were diagnosed as NGGCT. In the germinoma subgroup, the rTBF ranged from 0.90 to 1.71 (mean 1.21, median 1.09), while it ranged from 1.14 to 5.75 (mean 3.91, median 3.31) in NGGCT subgroup. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that calculating rTBF is useful for differentiating between germinoma and NGGCT (area under the curve (AUC) 0.929, P = 0.0012) compared to intratumoral T1 hyperintense foci (AUC 0.788, P = 0.0304) and ADC (AUC 0.919, P = 0.0016). Conclusions High rTBF obtained by ASL-PWI implied the presence of NGGCT component. This information might help in deciding the chemotherapy/radiotherapy intensity.

OBJECTIVE Patients with symptomatic Rathke's cleft cysts (RCCs) managed by surgical treatment often experience recurrence. The authors attempted to clarify the outcome of surgically treated RCCs over a long-term follow-up period. METHODS Ninety-one consecutive RCC patients with a follow-up period of more than 12 months (mean 80.2 months, range 12–297 months) were retrospectively studied. The authors examined the clinical features and postoperative course of patients who experienced a reaccumulation of cyst contents visible on MRI after the initial surgery, and they investigated data from the patients who underwent reoperation for symptomatic recurrent RCCs. RESULTS Reaccumulation of cyst contents occurred in 36 patients (39.6%). In 34 of these patients, a reaccumulation occurred in the first 5 years after surgery. The initial cysts in these patients were most often large, with squamous metaplasia in the cyst walls. Thirteen patients (14.3%) with recurrent symptoms underwent a reoperation, and 10 of the 13 patients had a reaccumulation of RCCs within the 1st year after surgery. The reoperations were performed in the 1st year (61.5%) or several years later (23.1%). Patients were likely to initially have had a visual disturbance and the cyst walls likely included squamous metaplasia. However, no association was observed between the incidence of reaccumulation/reoperation of RCCs and the surgical procedure for RCCs. CONCLUSIONS The reaccumulation rate of RCC is high in the long-term period, and it is associated with the histological findings but not with the surgical procedure. Long-term monitoring, for a period of at least 5 years, should therefore be conducted to identify and assess any RCC reaccumulation.

Discordant GH and IGF-1 levels after adenomectomy are well recognized in acromegalics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical features and natural course of postoperative acromegaly associated with discordant GH and IGF-1 levels over a postoperative period. A total of 69 acromegalics underwent surgery with at least 1 year of follow-up and received 75-g oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) at 3 months postoperatively. The patients were categorized into four groups according to the postoperative nadir GH levels and IGF-1 levels: controlled group (normal GH and normal IGF-1), high-IGF-1 group (normal GH and high IGF-1), high-GH group (high GH and normal IGF-1), and uncontrolled group (high GH and high IGF-1). The incidence of discordant GH and IGF-1 levels was 27.5 %: high-IGF-1 group = 10.1 % (n = 7) and high-GH group = 17.4 % (n = 12). All patients in the high-IGF-1 group exhibited a decline in the IGF-1 level after surgery, with normalization observed in 71.4 % of the patients without additional treatment (median 23 months). These subjects had preoperatively high IGF-1 levels despite not demonstrating higher GH levels than the patients in the controlled group. On the other hand, four patients in the high-GH group exhibited an elevated nadir GH level higher than 1.0 μg/L on repeated OGTTs after 3 months, and one patient experienced a recurrence of acromegaly. Patients in the high-IGF-1 group require no additional treatments, and their IGF-1 levels are likely to normalize within a few years. However, patients in the high-GH group should be carefully followed due to the possibility of recurrence.

We report for the first time two cases of physiologic pituitary hyperplasia causing visual disturbance during adolescence. Case 1. A 15-year-old boy visited our department with a pituitary mass lesion on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) associated with headache and transient bitemporal hemianopsia repeating. A visual field defect became apparent on the bitemporal upper side, and the area of the visual field defect enlarged to hemianopsia. The visual defect usually occurred in relation to exercise and continued for approximately 10 min. MRI showed the mass effect of pituitary hyperplasia to the optic chiasm. At six months later after the initial onset of the symptom, the visual field defect disappeared. Case 2. A 14-year-old girl came to our emergency department with a pituitary mass lesion on MRI associated with acute headache and visual disturbance occurring during exercise. MRI revealed the possibility of pituitary hyperplasia compressing the optic chiasm; however, her clinical course showed pituitary apoplexy. We conducted emergency transsphenoidal surgery to decompress her optic chiasm. The operative findings and histological examinations revealed a normal pituitary gland. Her visual disturbance immediately recovered after the surgery. Physiologic pituitary hyperplasia during adolescence can cause visual disturbance. Surgery should be carefully conducted, given the possibility of physiologic pituitary hyperplasia with visual symptoms.

BACKGROUND: The differentiation of germinoma from other tumors can be very difficult. We evaluated the usefulness of advanced MRI for the differentiatial diagnosis of germinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our IRB approved this retrospective study. We reviewed the images of 26 patients with histologically confirmed germinoma who were treated in our institution between 2003 and 2016. We also studied 25 patients with pineal tumors which included 14 non-germinomatous germ cell tumors (NGGCT), 9 pineal parenchymal tumors (PPT) and 2 meningioma. Patients underwent CT and conventional MRI and advanced MRI including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and/or arterial spin labeling based perfusion-weighted imaging and single voxel proton MR spectroscopy (1HMRS). RESULTS: In germinoma patients group, age ranged from 9.1 to 37.7-years (average 17.5, median 14.6). 24 were male, and 2 were female patients. High lipids peak at 1HMRS was observed in 16 of 16 examined tumors. On the other hand, in the PPT and meningioma, lipid peaks were small or absent in 10 of 10 examined tumors. In NGGCT group, high lipids peak at 1HMRS was also observed in 11 of 12 examined tumors, while they did not show high intensity on DWI, rather, they showed low to high mixed intensity. ADC was statistically lower in germinoma group than in NGGCT group (P=0.0002). Relative tumor blood flow (rTBF) was statistically lower in germinoma group than in NGGCT group (P=0.0087). CONCLUSION: Lower ADC value, low rTBF and high lipids peak at 1HMRS are characteristics of germinoma.

OBJECTIVEElderly patients are particularly at risk for severe morbidity following surgery. Among the various risk factors, age and skull base location of meningioma are known to be poor prognostic factors in meningioma surgery. The authors conducted this study to analyze significant preoperative risk factors in elderly patients with skull base meningioma.METHODSA total of 265 elderly patients (≥ 65 years old) with meningioma were surgically treated at the authors’ institute and affiliated hospitals between 2000 and 2016, and these cases were reviewed. Among them, 57 patients with skull base meningioma were evaluated. Among the various risk factors, the authors analyzed age, sex, Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, and tumor size, location, and pathology. Body mass index (BMI) and serum albumin were investigated as the frailty factors. The authors also reviewed 11 surgical studies of elderly patients ≥ 60 years old with meningioma.RESULTSThe mean age was 72.4 ± 5.7 years, and 42 patients were female (73.6%). The mean size of meningioma was 36.6 ± 14.8 mm at the maximum diameter, and the mean follow-up period was 31.1 ± 31.5 months. (The continuous variables are expressed as the mean ± SD.) Histopathological investigation revealed a higher incidence (71.9%) of WHO Grade I. The rates of deterioration after surgery, at 3 months, and at 1 year were 33.3%, 37.3%, and 39.1%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed location, preoperative KPS score, BMI level 2, and serum albumin level (p = 0.010, 0.017, 0.0012, and 0.0019, respectively) to be poor prognostic factors. Multivariate analysis revealed that location (p = 0.038) and BMI (p = 0.035) were risk factors for KPS score deterioration immediately after surgery. According to the 11 papers reviewed, the median rate (25th–75th percentile) of skull base–related location was 43.5% (39.6–47.75); for asymptomatic status the mean was 24%; and for mortality at 3 months and 1 year the medians were 6.3% (0.7–7.1) and 8% (4.8–9.4), respectively.CONCLUSIONCareful preoperative assessment based on the frailty concept was essential for better outcome in elderly patients with skull base meningioma. The BMI is appropriate as a quantitative factor for measure of frailty, particularly in elderly individuals with skull base meningioma. Further prospective randomized controlled trials are necessary to validate frailty as a preoperative risk factor. Not only patient selection but also surgical timing was an important factor.

Background Older patients are increasingly presenting for surgery with intracranial meningioma because of progress with diagnostic imaging and longer life expectancy. However, older patients have many problems, such as comorbidities and reduced physiological capacity reflected in the frailty index. This study examines the factors affecting clinical deterioration after surgery in older patients, particularly factors associated with frailty. Methods Two hundred sixty-five patients older than 65 years underwent surgical resection of meningioma at Hiroshima University and related hospitals between 2000 and 2016. Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) scores before and after surgery were evaluated. Factors related to the deterioration of KPS were analyzed with multivariate logistic regression modeling, including body mass index and serum albumin. Results KPS score deteriorated compared with preoperative score in 56 patients at discharge and in 40 patients at 3 months later, and 2 patients died within 1 year after surgery. Multivariate logistic regression analysis in addition to preoperative body mass index and serum albumin indicated skull base tumor location (odds ratio [OR], 4.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.02–10.8) and serum albumin (OR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.06–5.34) were risk factors for deterioration of KPS score at discharge. Age (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.85–0.98), skull base tumor location (OR, 4.32; 95% CI, 1.45–12.9), tumor size (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.00–1.05), and serum albumin (OR, 3.53; 95% CI, 1.29–9.61) were significant risk factors for perioperative intracranial complications. Conclusions Skull base tumor location and serum albumin correlated with deterioration of clinical status after surgery.

The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) plays an important role in diagnosing intracranial tumors and predicting the histopathological grade of the tumor. However, the differences in the ADC values between craniopharyngiomas and germ cell tumors (GCTs) have not been clarified. We therefore evaluated the DWI and ADC values at b = 1000 and b = 4000 s/mm(2) on 3T magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and assessed the possibility of differentiating between craniopharyngiomas and GCTs. We retrospectively reviewed 19 patients with craniopharyngioma and 24 patients with GCT who underwent surgery and received a histopathological diagnosis. Thirty-four patients underwent DWI with b = 1000 and b = 4000 s/mm(2) and nine patients underwent periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER) DWI with b = 1000 s/mm(2). The ADC was determined by manually placing regions of interests (ROIs) in the respective tumor regions on the ADC maps and is expressed as the minimum (ADC(MIN)), mean (ADC(MEAN)), and maximum (ADC(MAX)) absolute values. The craniopharyngiomas showed lower intensity on DWI at b = 1000 and b = 4000 s/mm(2) than the GCTs. Furthermore, the craniopharyngiomas demonstrated significantly high ADC values (ADC(MIN), ADC(MEAN), and ADC(MAX)) in comparison with the GCTs on DWI at b = 1000 and b = 4000 s/mm(2). The logistic discriminant analysis clarified the advantage of ADC(MIN) at b = 4000 s/mm(2) in differentiating between craniopharyngiomas and GCTs compared with the other ADC values. DWI and the ADC values may help clinicians to differentiate between craniopharyngiomas and GCTs. The ADC(MIN) at b = 4000 s/mm(2) is particularly useful for differentiation.

A 67-year-old woman was referred to our department with a retroclival lesion including a cyst on MRI. MRI revealed a lesion appearing as an isointense region on a diffusion-weighted image(DWI). Gadolinium(Gd)-DTPA T1-WI showed heterogeneous enhancement of the lesion in the prepontine cistern. Computed tomography(CT)revealed an isodense lesion with no invasion into the clival bone. Based on a preoperative diagnosis of retroclival chordoma, extended trans-sphenoidal surgery(TSS)was performed by a direct endoscopic endonasal approach via the left nostril. We found a round dural defect with a diameter of 5 mm, through which the tumor was incarcerated. However, the tumor had no connection to the clival bone. The lesion was totally removed and histologically diagnosed as a chordoma. Furthermore, the clival bone included no tumor cells. Based on those radiological and histological findings, we diagnosed the lesion as an intradural retroclival chordoma. We should consider intradural retroclival chordoma as a candidate for the differential diagnosis of a retroclival lesion without clival bone invasion.

The most common complication of neuroendoscopic surgery is postoperative fever without infection, although the details have not been discussed. The objective of this study was to clarify the clinical features and predicting factors of the postoperative fever following neuroendoscopic procedures. Between March 1998 and March 2013, 83 patients (46 males, 37 females; median age, 14.0 years) who had undergone surgery via the transventricular approach under a neuroendoscopic view were included in this study. A total of 86 neuroendoscopic procedures were performed in 83 patients. The incidence and duration of postoperative fever (≥38.0 and ≥39.0 °C) over the 7 days after surgery were examined. Moreover, the following variables predictive of fever were investigated: age, sex, neuroendoscopic procedure, operative time, and intraoperative irrigation fluid. The incidence of postoperative fever was 65.1 % (≥38.0 °C) and 15.1 % (≥39.0 °C). The median level of the highest fever was 38.6 °C. The fevers developed immediately after surgery and spontaneously disappeared within four postoperative days. Only age was related to postoperative fever (p = 0.032). The postoperative body temperature was negatively correlated with age in all 86 surgeries (p < 0.001, Spearman r = −0.396). In particular, patients under 10 years of age tended to have postoperative fever (p = 0.005). The result of this study demonstrated a peculiar pattern of fever following neuroendoscopic procedures. This type of fever did not cause serious problems; however, special attention should be paid to the high incidence of postoperative fever in patients under 10 years of age.

Objective Pseudocapsular resection is a useful surgical technique for removing functioning pituitary adenomas; however, the significance of this procedure in nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFPAs) had not been discussed in detail. We clarify the safety of pseudocapsular resection in NFPAs based on the incidence of surgical complications and evaluation of pituitary function. Methods In 143 patients, initial surgery for NFPAs was performed with preoperative and postoperative pituitary provocation tests. Patients were categorized into 3 groups: total group ( n = 65), in which the pseudocapsule was totally removed; partial group ( n = 11), in which the pseudocapsule was partially removed; and nonremoval group ( n = 67), in which the pseudocapsule was not removed or did not exist. The main outcome measure was the incidence of surgical complications and postoperative pituitary functions. Results Intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage and temporary diabetes insipidus occurred more frequently in the total group than in the nonremoval group; however, the differences were not statistically significant. There was no difference in the incidence of any other complications, including postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage and permanent diabetes insipidus, between the total and nonremoval groups. Postoperative anterior pituitary function improved to the same degree in both the total and the nonremoval groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that pseudocapsular resection was not a factor in the postoperative deterioration of pituitary function. Conclusions Pseudocapsular resection in NFPAs does not increase the risk of surgical complications or aggravate postoperative pituitary function.

ObjectiveThe glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is increased in patients with active acromegaly. The aim of this study is to elucidate whether renal function deteriorates in patients with acromegaly and whether this deterioration is reversible after surgical remission.Design/methodsA case–control study of 48 acromegalic patients who were surgically cured (cases) and 48 patients with nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (NFomas, controls) was conducted. We performed clinical and biochemical examinations before surgery and 3months post-surgery. The GFR of each patient was estimated (estimated GFR, eGFR) using their serum creatinine, age, sex, and body surface area, and postoperative changes in the eGFR were assessed.ResultsThe preoperative eGFR was significantly higher in patients with acromegaly than in those with NFoma (99.8 vs 75.1mL/min respectively,PPP=0.12). Among the acromegalic patients, the postoperative decreases in the eGFR were more prominent in patients with a preoperatively high or normal vs low eGFR.ConclusionsOur data demonstrated a significant post-surgical eGFR decrease in patients with acromegaly, but not in patients with NFomas. This change in the eGFR was reversible in acromegalic patients with a high/normal preoperative eGFR, but not in those with a low preoperative eGFR. This suggests that the reversible pathophysiological change in some patients is functional but not organic.

The relationship between tumor consistency and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values is controversial. We evaluated the role of the ADC using an advanced diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) technique. We employed periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER) DWI acquired on a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner to assess the consistency of pituitary adenomas and examined the relationship between the ADC and the hormone secretion status of the tumors and their MIB-1 labeling index (MIB-1 LI).The study protocol was approved by our institutional review board. We retrospectively studied 24 operated patients with pituitary adenomas who had undergone PROPELLER DWI on a 3-T MRI scanner. Conventional MRI findings were expressed as the ratio of the signal intensity (SI) in the lesions to the SI of the normal white matter and the degree of contrast enhancement. Minimum-, mean-, and maximum ADC (ADCmin, ADCmean, ADCmax) values were calculated. The consistency of the tumors was determined by neurosurgeons. All surgical specimens were submitted for histological study to calculate the MIB-1 LI and the percent collagen content. Preoperative MRI-, intraoperative-, and histological findings were analyzed by a statistician.Our study included 15 soft-, 5 fibrous-, and 4 hard tumors. Tumor consistency was strongly associated with the percent collagen content. However, neither the tumor consistency nor the percent collagen content was correlated with MRI findings or ADC values. The SI of growth hormone-producing adenomas on T2-WI was lower than of the other pituitary adenomas studied (p0.01); no other significant difference was found in the ADC or on conventional MRI between pituitary adenomas with different secretory functions. The MIB-1 LI of pituitary adenomas was not correlated with their appearance on conventional MRI or their ADC values.Using the PROPELLER DWI technique we confirmed that the ADC was not correlated with the consistency of pituitary adenomas. We also demonstrate that the ADC was not associated with the hormone-secreting status or the MIB-1 LI of pituitary adenomas.

To know the longitudinal shift of blood IGF-1 of cured acromegaly, we conducted retrospective survey of changes in blood IGF-1 over two years, which has not been previously investigated. Blood IGF-1 levels were measured for longer than 2 years after TSS in 37 patients whose nadir GH during postoperative oral glucose tolerance test (OGTt) was under 1 ng/mL. Blood IGF-1 very gradually declined after three months; 230.6 (mean) ng/mL at 3-12 months, 202.3 ng/mL at 12-24 months, and 198.6 ng/mL at 24-36 months. Their SD values, calculated based on standard IGF-1 values of age- and sex-matched Japanese population, also slowly decreased after three months; 1.69 (mean) at 3-12 months, 1.23 at 12-24 months, and 1.12 at 24-36 months. Very slow decrease of the IGF-1 levels continued beyond the first several months and even the first year after TSS. The declination of values is greater than that associated with aging. This declination may be at least partially a reflection of the slow decrease and late normalization of GH secretion.

Intracranial germinomas are rare and account for only 1.9% of primary intracranial tumors in Japan. The diagnosis of germinoma by conventional MR imaging is sometimes difficult. It has not been well documented about the advanced imaging of germinoma. The purpose of our study was to determine if advanced MR imagings could give additional information for differential diagnosis of germinoma. We retrospectively reviewed the imaging of 23 patients with primary central nervous system germinoma who were treated in our institution between Oct 2004 and November 2014. 22 patients were diagnoses by histological specimen and one case was diagnosed by imaging and increase of serum and cerebrospinal fluid hCG-β. Patients underwent conventional MR imaging and advanced MR imaging including diffusion-weighted imaging and single voxel proton MR spectroscopy. Patients age was ranging from 9 to 37-years-old (average 16.1, median 14). 21 were male, and 3 were female patients. Serum hCG-β was elevated at 20 of 23 patients. Cerebrospinal fluid hCG-β was elevated in 15 of 16 examined patients. 13 patients had single lesion, while 10 had multiple lesions, and 3 had disseminated disease. 5 of 23 tumors showed spontaneous regression after biopsy. Bithalamic extension was observed in 10 of 14 patients with pineal germinoma, but only 3 of 10 patients showed edema at thalamus. The cyst formation was observed at 11 of 23 patients. 18 of 21 examined tumors showed high intensity on diffusion-weighted imaging. High lipids peak at single voxel proton MR spectroscopy was observed in 13 of 13 examined tumors. However, other patients could not perform MR spectroscopy because of small tumor size. In conclusions, high intense on diffusion-weighted imaging and high lipids peak at single voxel proton MR spectroscopy might be the characteristics of germinoma.

Beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG-β) is considered to be a useful tumor marker for germ cell tumors (GCTs); however, various tumors other than GCTs, including cystic pituitary adenomas, Rathke’s cleft cysts, and craniopharyngiomas, were reported to express HCG-β. We herein present the case of a 5-year-old boy who presented with polyuria and had a solitary lesion in the neurohypophysis with a positive HCG-β titer in the cerebrospinal fluid. Under a preoperative diagnosis of germinoma, a biopsy was performed from the posterior pituitary lobe via the transsphenoidal endoscopic approach and the histological diagnosis was revealed to be Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). The finding of a slightly positive HCG-β titer in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cannot exclude the possibility of LCH, and we strongly recommend a histological diagnosis for the diagnosis of a solitary neurohypophysial lesion.

OBJECT With advancement of cancer treatment and development of neuroimaging techniques, contemporary clinical pictures of pituitary metastases (PMs) must have changed from past reports. The goal of this paper was to elucidate the clinical features of PMs and current clinical practice related to those lesions. In this retrospective study, questionnaires were sent to 87 physicians who had treated PMs in Japan. RESULTS Between 1995 and 2010, 201 patients with PMs were treated by the participating physicians. The diagnosis of PM was histologically verified in 69 patients (34.3%). In the other 132 patients (65.7%), the PM was diagnosed by their physicians based on neuroimaging findings and clinical courses. The most frequent primary tumor was lung (36.8%), followed by breast (22.9%) and kidney (7.0%) cancer. The average interval between diagnosis of primary cancer and detection of PM was 2.8 ± 3.9 (SD) years. Major symptoms at diagnosis were visual disturbance in 30.3%, diabetes insipidus in 27.4%, fatigue in 25.4%, headache in 20.4%, and double vision in 17.4%. Major neuroimaging features were mass lesion in the pituitary stalk (63.3%), constriction of tumor at the diaphragmatic hiatus (44.7%), hypothalamic mass lesion (17.4%), and hyperintensity in the optic tract (11.4%). Surgical treatment was performed in 26.9% of patients, and 74.6% had radiation therapy; 80.0% of patients who underwent radiotherapy had stereotactic radiotherapy. The median survival time was 12.9 months in total. Contributing factors for good prognosis calculated by Cox proportional hazard analysis were younger age, late metastasis to the pituitary gland, smaller PM size, and radiation therapy. The Kaplan-Meier survival was significantly better in patients with breast cancer and renal cell cancer than in those with lung cancer. CONCLUSIONS At the time of this writing, approximately 60% (120/201) of PMs had been treated by stereotactic radiation therapy in Japan. The median survival time was much longer than that reported in past series. To confirm the changes of clinical features and medical practice, a prospective and population-based survey is mandatory.

A transcranial approach in combination with a transpetrosal setting has been the mainstream of surgical treatment of cholesterol granulomas in the petrous apex. However, endoscopic endonasal surgery has become a choice of treatment for these lesions with recent advancements in surgical techniques and instruments. We report a successful case of cholesterol granuloma managed with endoscopic endonasal surgery. A 45-year-old woman, who had a long-standing history of otitis media, presented with left abducens nerve palsy and discomfort around the left eye. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging showed a large cystic lesion, suggesting cholesterol granuloma, in the left middle fossa abutting the cavernous sinus and lateral wall of the sphenoid sinus. We chose an endoscopic endonasal approach to drain the contents of the cyst because the lesion protruded into the left sphenoid sinus. The sphenoid sinus was widely opened and the cyst wall was fenestrated with the assistance of an image guidance navigation system. Postoperative MR images confirmed the complete collapse of the cyst. She has been free from symptoms since the operation.

Background De novo aneurysms in the posterior circulation are very rare. The authors describe a first case of ruptured de novo posterior cerebral artery (PCA) aneurysm in the P3 portion. Case description A 52-year-old woman with ruptured de novo P3 aneurysm was treated by early endovascular obliteration using Guglielmi Detachable Coils (GDC). To prevent vasospasm, she received postoperative treatment with a hypertensive hypervolemia dilution and a calcium antagonist. She was discharged without neurologic deficits. Conclusion Aneuryms arising from peripheral segment of PCA are rare, and delayed surgical clipping has been recommended for these lesions. This is the first report of a de novo P3 ruptured aneurysm treated by endovascular embolization using GDC in the acute stage of subarachnoid hemorrhage. The characteristics of de novo posterior circulation aneurysms and the strategy for the distal PCA aneurysms are discussed.

Objective The aim of this study was to clarify the correlation between clinical features (especially cyst formation and cavernous sinus invasion) and minor secretion of anterior pituitary hormones, especially adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and gonadotropin, by clinically nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas (CNFPAs) in cell culture. Methods We examined anterior pituitary hormones secreted by samples from 63 cases of CNFPAs grown in cell culture. Magnetic resonance imaging, including determination of the Knosp grade, cystic changes, and intraoperative cavernous sinus invasion, was performed. Results Detection of minor hormone secretion using cell culture showed that 61.9% (39/63) of CNFPAs secreted luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and thyroid-stimulating hormone, 44.4% (28/63) secreted ACTH, 57.1% (36/63) secreted prolactin, and 28.6% (18/63) secreted growth hormone; only 1 case of the null-cell adenoma was observed (1.6%). Cystic changes, Knosp grade 4 status, and cavernous sinus invasion were predominantly observed in cases of ACTH-secreting adenomas. Gonadotropin-secreting adenomas showed opposite characteristics to ACTH-secreting adenomas. Conclusions Minor secretion of ACTH and gonadotropin may be related to clinical features, especially cystic changes and invasiveness of CNFPAs, suggesting that our cell culture method could be helpful for elucidating the mechanisms of pituitary cyst formation and the invasiveness of CNFPAs.